Review Summary

"Absolute Wilson,” directed by Katharina Otto-Bernstein, belongs to a reliable documentary subgenre: the admiring profile of a famous artist. The subject in this case is Robert Wilson, the avant-garde theater director — though that description hardly does justice to his work — who speaks on camera with unusual candor, especially about his family and his early life. It is curious, but perhaps also inevitable, that someone who is so willing to dispense with conventions of realism and narrative continuity in his art should inspire such a conventional film. The tried-and-true PBS-worthy techniques — interviews with acquaintances and experts, archival video and still images, glimpses behind the scenes — serve Ms. Otto-Bernstein and Mr. Wilson reasonably well. And his stage productions are challenging enough to benefit from some explication. Without insisting on a single interpretive framework (biographical, historical, sociological, etc.) and without supposing that Mr. Wilson’s work can ever be fully understood, “Absolute Wilson” provides a satisfying overview. It will be sure to pique the interest of novices without insulting the sophistication of devotees. — A. O. Scott